I might be done with Case for a while...

Just to be clear, I am not speaking to this particular knife being discussed. I am speaking to my own recent purchases and comparing that to the 1970's and pre knives that got me hooked.

 

While I agree that some people may have unreasonable expectations, I see nothing wrong with increased expectations to match an increased price. Is that not why people buy a Cadillac over a Chevy?

 

It is never a bad thing to discuss expectations or experiences. As long as you realize we all come from difference places and down different roads, there is no harm in a friendly conversation. Too many times these days we shy away from conversations in this country that may lead to differing opinions, and that is a shame. If you are going to be aggravated every time you pick up a knife, get a different knife. It doesn't matter what the issues are with it. I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to expectations. In trying to keep a good product at a good value in my store, I have just started to reflect on the ways and means of our traditional factories.
They can do better. I'm just not sure at what price points they can do better. There are factories elsewhere that have invested in modern equipment and have a more "economical" source of labor to compete with in 2017. Not to mention all the factories today want to "protect" their dealers by dictating the minimum retail pricing (MAP). But you have to remember with 2-3 levels of folks between you and Case; it didn't leave the factory a $95 knife. Personally I would rather the factories let the market set the prices.
But I hope I didn't say something that made you regret posting. This is a place of discussion.

 

I think this is a very potent point when knives come out with a steel variation or handle material variation. It gets lost in the total price, but it is the same knife with a more expensive material. This is the case in the world of modern folders as well, but the use of a higher end steel is more common, and I don't find usually that a buyer will expect a higher end knife just because of a steel upgrade.

 

Thanks for telling about it, JD. A big part of the reason we value having a place to read the opinions of others on the subject of this hobby is to get an idea about what we buy based on the experience of others. We (nearly all of us) tend to make our judgments, good and bad, on a very small number of examples we have the chance to handle, so we come here and have a look at how others have fared.

I would certainly return the knife to its maker and get a repair/replacement. It sounds like the one you received has a number of not quite rights that added up to one just plain wrong.

This also occurred occasionally back in the day, but we tend to only recall the good ol' days, and forget that life never has been perfect. I personally returned a few Case knives to the local hardware store over the years, as well as other brands (Camillus in the '80s was very hit or miss for me), not to mention the "seconds" that were put out by most firms back then....

The great majority of Case knives are just fine, but there is no good reason to spend money on disappointment. Send it on back.

 

Case still can make some good knives however I am done with them for the foreseeable future for the same reasons as the OP. Case is just big now they have graduated into a new class of production that is just too difficult to manage the quality blades we the enthusiasts really expect IMO. They can sell more than needed based on their name to the average Joe that recognizes the name alone, not the quality. I would not expect changes anytime soon. Just my own thoughts on this

 

Boy, isn't this the truth! I have had so many issues with Case knives off the net needing warranty service.

 

A few years ago a back spring broke on my favorite stockman. I was disappointed then mad, done with the company etc.
I went ahead and sent it back under warranty and two weeks later I had a new knife.
I opened the box checked it out and now that knife is a favorite again.

Send it back to case for repair or replacement, you might decide it's great knife again.
Isn't there an old saying, smurf happens with any company.

 

A good point. Perhaps it has to do with being a bigger company with more automated production. Then again, Bear and Son is a much smaller manufacturer, but I have had many years of very bad luck with them. Buck seems to have hit a good balance between automated mass production and QC.

 

I'm done with Case too, but for a different reason: I just literally have enough of them.

The last time I bought new Case knives was the end of 2014 - a late Christmas gift to myself. I bought a batch of five at that time, all for very good (low) prices over the Internet.

I'm happy with all five of them, and four of them get regular carry and use. I have two from that batch with me today, in fact, and a third is in my car.

I don't know what their current production is like. Most of mine run from about 2008 through 2014, with a few older ones from the 70s, 80s, 90s. I've probably got somewhere between 80 and 100 Case knives. Some were bought new from dealers (mostly on-line, a few in stores) and some were purchased used through forums or ebay.

Some of the new ones had a few cosmetic issues that I was able to resolve, but none had any problems I considered worth sending in for repair or returning to the dealer.

To JDs original issue - if I had spent that much on a Case knife and it had the problems he reported, I would do the same thing and send it back. I just haven't had that experience myself.

 

It makes me crazier to get a brand new knife that has issues than it does to get one second hand that isn't perfect. I bought a CV yellow peanut a while back and the tip was proud and had some blade wobble. Didn't make me happy. I've found that if I buy used on the Bay and ask the seller a few questions I can get something I'm happy with. Just got a very rusty CV yellow nut for $14 on the bay, but before I bought I asked the seller if the blades were solid, wobble free etc. I could tell from the pictures that the blades were centered so it just took some elbow grease to clean the thing up, restore it's action and I'm happy with it. Plus I feel like I'm giving an old knife a new lease on life. OP i have no shame in sending back a brand new knife, or anything for that matter, that isn't up to snuff.

 

I think the $45 knife with a $50 blade is a great analogy. The decision to put higher end blades and cover materials is moving a "working" knife price into a different category. I'd pay more for a better fitted and finished product, even with standard materials like CV and Tru Sharp, jigged bone and delrin.

 

If you buy online ask the retailer to inspect the knife for whatever issues you're worried about. I do it with every one and have yet to be disappointed.

 

I posted this in a thread in General; but it applies here: I was gifted a Case 500 piece special edition congress 44052 in white delrin. A great example from Case. I was delighted until I opened up the knife blades one by one. The blades were ground until sharpening knicks were missing on three of four blades. The straight coping and sheep foot were recurves as were all the blades to some degree. The blades are all small and were ruined. Since it was a gift knife and a 500 piece special, I won't return it as there's really no point. But I'll never buy another Case knife personally without inspecting it firsthand. No excuse, Case, sorry. ROFL

 

I think it's more a matter of fact, than an analogy. It's a steel upgrade.

A more appropriate analogy might be the same car with "basic" or "sport" upgrade trim.

 

Precisely. Now, I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I've bought a few 50 dollar new knives but mostly I buy antiques at flea markets etc..... I sometimes still drool over the beautiful pieces that I see people post and love the idea of some of the apparently flawless higher dollar ones, I can't see myself using one I've spent so much on. The Chevy will get you to will get you to work in the morning just as well as the caddy. But if I broke down and dropped 100 on one of those, I'd expect it to be noticeably better than a 50 dollar knife. Or I'd send it back.

 

If you buy a new Chevy and pay extra for better than basic tires, the car is still the same. Only the tires are different. The tires don't turn the Chevy into a Cadillac. I'd expect better performance from the tires.

Similarly, I'd expect better performance from 154-CM steel over TruSharp. The rest of the knife is the same for both.

 

Yes but upgraded tires don't double the price of the car as in this particular situation.